Tucking attachment for sewing machines



Jan. 20, 1931. e. w. JOHNSON ET AL I 1,789,704

TUCKING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed oct. 31. 1927 -2shdatas'hen 1 George Womal Jbhnson Henry Clog T zuslow INVENTORS WM aum, ATTORNEY.

Jan. 20, 1931. G, w, JOHNSON ETAL 1,789,704

TUCKING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Oct. 31, 1927 2Shoots-Shoot 2 George Wornal Johnson Henry Clay Truslow v lNvENToRs WATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 20, 1931 I UNITED ST ES j ,1,789,704 fE GEORGE WOBNAL.iormson ANlD HENBY CLAY rnusnow, on NEW Yonm imYYl As-l SIGNORSTOJQSEPEw. JOHNSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. 1

TUck vehrTAcHi/mnu non SEWING MACHINES Application filed 0ctober81,11927.. Serial no. 229,969.

This invention relates to sewing machines" and particularly to thatclass of devices which are adapted to form tucks or plaits incloth, andour invention has for its object to provide a tucking device by meansofjwhich" means of the attachment hereinafter de-' scribed and claimedand illustratively exemplified 1n the accompanymg drawings, in

' which, Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of material provided withour improved shell tucking; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portionof a sewing machine and attachment; Figure 3 is aplan view of the same;and Figure 4 is a substantially longitudinal sectional view of ourattachment taken on lines 4'4 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings 10 denotes the arm of a sewing machine and 11the bed plate thereof. The arm 10 carries a presser bar 12 at the lowerend of which is secured the presser foot 13. Carried by the arm 10 inadvance of the presser bar 12 is the usual needle bar 1 1 from whichdepends a needle 15 adjusted to reciprocate in an opening 16 disposed inthe presser foot 13, the opening 16 being in communication with one sideof the foot 13 through a slot 17. The slot 17 is disposed transverselywith respect to the axis of the lateral portlon of the foot 13 andprojects from the opening 16 slightly in advance of the center thereof.Leading into the slightly upturned nose of the foot 13 is the deliveryend of a tucking or folding attachment 18 of any well known typeutilized for the purpose of forming and leading the material in foldsinto the path of the reciprocating needle 15. The apparatus thus farbriefly described with the exception of the slot 17 is common to sewingmachines and tucking attachments now in use.

Mounted on the bed plate 11 beneath the arm 10, is a plate 19, which isfixed in position by means of thumb screw 20, and which is provided withtwo spaced upstanding guide blocks 21. The blocks 21 have radialopenings 22 disposed so-as to coincidewith a common axis which projectsdirectly 'over the longitudinal axis of the slot 17. The

openings22 accommodate a reciprocatingbar 23wh1c'h comprises amet'alwire, round in cross section and provided with a downwardly. curvedgatherer or nose 24 at its xtreme needleward end. This nose is flattenedon both sidesand its tip is intended to" reciprooate in the slot 17 ofthe foot piece 13 and in advance of the upright path ofthe needle 15.The portion of the bar 23 projecting through the openings 22 of theguide blocks is necessarily straight, but beyond the latter the wire isbent upwardly at right angles and then at right angles again in arearwardly direction. Reciprocal motion'is imparted to the bar 23 bycontact with a pin 25' depending from a disc 26 which rotates with theoperation-of the machine through an up- 1 rightfshaft 27 carryingthedisc 26 and a needle bar actuating or'main shaft 281mclosed withinthe arm 10. The shaft 27 and worm gear connection(not shown) to the Vments for working on materials being stitched by machine. Rotarymovement of the pin 25 will push the bar 23 in the direction of theneedle but the bar is withdrawn by means of a spring'connection 29attached at one end to a'fixed portion of the machine while the otherend embraces a portion of the reciprocating bar itself. l f

The operation of theinvention is as" follows :The material to be workedis introduced into the tucking device in the well known'manner, whichrequires no explana tion here, and asa consequencethe folded portionapproaches the :needle bar and foot so. as to bring the crease of theunder foldof jthetuck. being formed directly in line with the path ofthe needle which under ordi According to the present inventionitis con-.

templated to feed and fold the-tuck in the v manner just brieflydescribed, but as the V the needle.

folded material forming the tuck is drawn under the foot piece 13 andinto the path of theneedle 15 the latter forms only a certain number ofstitches, in the present instance six are provided, which catch thematerial in the usual way, i. e. straight along the creaseof'the underfoldand through the upper layer-forming the faceof the tuck. At

this point in the operationfof' the machine the disc 26 and pin 2-5 haverotated until the bar 23 has crowded the nose- 24 against the free edgeof the tuckbeing formed and held beneath the shoe 13, the material as aconsequence having become gathered up to a point past the needle as thenose continues to advance through the slot 17 in front of The needle 15then descends to pick up its next stitch which catches over the edge ofthe tuck in its gatheredconditionand fastens its position. A. secondoper-' ation of the needle and a second stitch is taken asillustratively exemplified in Figure 1, before the nose is withdrawnfrom the slot 17 and'the material allowed to proceed under 7 normaltucking conditions for the succeeding six stitches. It will be clearthatthe tuck between'its gathered points will assume an outwardly curvedshape, giving it the very desirable scollop or shell appearance. 7

Other apparatus designed to accomplish 1 the same purpose as thatattained by the present invention, are built into the sewing hasmachines and because of the more or less complicated nature ofthedevices, tend to' upright path of movement of the needle 15.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 2-- 71. In a tucking device for a sewingmachine, the combination of a presser foot having a portion overlyingthe work provided with a needle opening and a slot. projecting at anangle tothe travel of the Work and in communication with the needle slotin advance of'the center thereof, a reciprocating member axiallyalinedwith the axis of said slot, a'downwardly curved hook-shaped nosepiece for the end of the member projecting into said slot and disposedto crowd the free edge of the tuck being formed at spaced intervals asthe tuck advances under the presser foot, said nose being disposed toadvance to the opposite side of the needle opening and in a path inadvance of the center thereof, a

guide attachable to the sewing machine and provided with guide blocks tocarry the reciprocating member, means for resiliently holding the memberin retracted position, and means receiving its power from the sewingmachine mechanism to project the member throu h said slot.

2 tucking device for a sewing Inachine, the combination of a presserfoot having the portion engaging the work provided with a needle openingand a slot between the latter and the side of the foot, a reciprocatingbar terminating 'in a downwardly curved hook-shaped nose projecting intosaid slot, a

guide means for said bar, and a crank. operating from the sewingmachine: and engaging said bar to cause the nose to traverse the slotbeyond the center of the needle opening to crowd the free edgeof thetucking at spaced intervals during'itstravel under the said foot. 1

In testimony whereof we affix our signa tures. c

GEORGE 'WORN AL' JOHNSON. HENRY CLAY TRUSLOVV.

